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    Home » Recipes » Chutney~Pachadi

    Published: Feb 23, 2024 by Usha Rao

    Tomato Onion Pachadi

    Jump to Recipe
    Tomato onion chutney Pinterest pin.

    Tomato onion pachadi is a spicy, versatile chutney to serve with rice and Indian tiffins such as idli, dosa, vada and upma.  Made with tomatoes, onion, sesame seeds, peanuts, and Indian spices, is an under 15 minutes recipe, minus the cooling time. Make it for breakfast and use it for lunch as well.

    Bowl of tomato onion pachadi.
    Jump to:
    • About the Recipe
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • Serve & Store
    • Tips
    • FAQ
    • Related Recipes
    • 📖 Recipe

    This post was originally published in Jan 2011. It is republished with new content and images.

    About the Recipe

    Pachadi aka chutneys are a staple in Indian cooking and in South India, day begins with preparation of a chutney for breakfast and we have a wide range of chutneys with nuts and vegetables.  Tomato onion pachadi with sesame and peanuts is one of them.

    We also make pachadi with tomato red bell peppers, zucchini tomatoes, zucchini and other vegetables. These also go well with South Indian tiffins and use the leftovers for lunch. You can check all the pachadi/chutney varieties here.

    Most common tomato pachadi in Telangana is without onion and is usually served with rice.  Today’s recipe is a variation to that with the addition of onion, which my mother in law used to make for breakfast and it goes well even with rice.  

    Tomatoes are cooked in a tempering of basic Indian spices, green chilies, onion and garlic.  Then ground to a fine paste with some tamarind, roasted sesame seeds and/or peanuts.

    It is a quick and easy, under 15 minutes recipe, excluding the time to cool the tomato mixture.  For a nuts & seeds free tomato onion chutney, skip those in the recipe or, check the Chettinad tomato chutney.

    Ingredients

    Ingredients for tomato onion chutney.

    Tomatoes - use vine tomatoes for the best taste. Folks in India can use desi tomatoes. These are our preferred varieties but any tangy variety of tomatoes work. When the tomatoes are not tangy, use a little more tamarind/lime juice, according to your taste.

    Onion - any variety of onions work in the recipe.  I normally do not add jaggery or sugar to chutneys.  For slightly sweetish taste, recommend using red onions.

    Chilies - green chilies are preferred and for a vibrant color, use a combination of green and red chilies. When using a combination of green and dry red chilies, use more green chilies. Taste of the chutney changes depending on the chilies used.

    Garlic - we love garlic in tomato chutney and you can cut down a bit if you are not a big fan of garlic.  Use asafetida when skipping garlic. I highly recommend using garlic.

    Tamarind - I use homemade tamarind extract.  If you do not have it on hand, wash and use a small blackberry size tamarind and adjust it depending on its tanginess.  You can also it substitute with lime/lemon juice.

    Sesame & Peanuts - I use both sesame and peanuts but you can use one of these too.  I have made it with only sesame and with only peanuts.  Both taste fine.  

    Other Ingredients - oil, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, curry leaves, turmeric, salt and cilantro/kothmir.

    Instructions

    Time consuming prep work for onion tomato chutney is roasting sesame seeds and peanuts. Dry roast these and keep aside.

    TIP - Roast sesame seeds and peanuts separately in bulk and store in a glass jar.  This way you can powder the seeds and nuts as needed when preparing Indian chutneys and curries. This cuts down the prep time considerably.   

    When pressed for time, you can also roast sesame and peanuts along with whole spices in step 1, below.

    Wash all the veggies and herbs, and keep aside. Wash and keep tamarind aside when using whole tamarind. I use homemade tamarind extract, which comes where handy when preparing chutneys. 

    Sauteing onion garlic chili and spices in a frying. pan.

    Step 1 - Heat a pan with some oil. Pop mustard, cumin and fenugreek seeds.  Then add onion, garlic, green chili and curry leaves. Saute for a minue or two until chilies change color.

    Soft, cooked tomatoes along with garlic, onion and green chilies in a frying pan.

    Step 2 - Add salt, turmeric and give a good mix.  Then add tomatoes, mix, cover and cook until soft.

    Tomato mixture for the pachadi cooling in a frying pan.

    Step 3 - Add cilantro, peanuts, sesame seeds, tamarind, stir well. Turn off the flame and let the mixture cool.

    Pachadi in a mixie jar, just after grinding it to a fine paste.

    Step 4 - Transfer to a mixie/blender jar and grind to a fine paste. Add water as needed.

    Optional Step - Prepare a simple tadka with little oil, mustard seeds, red chili & curry leaf.  Pour it over the pachadi. 

    Serve & Store

    Serve tomato onion pachadi with idli, dosa, oats dosa, biyyam attlu (no ferment rice flour dosa), vada and plain steamed rice.  Refrigerate the leftovers for up to 5 days.

    Tips

    • Tomatoes - I use vine ripe tomatoes and find these tomatoes more tangy than the other variety. You can use other varieties too, but adjust tamarind extract depending on the tanginess of tomatoes.
    • Tamarind - Adjust tamarind extract depending on how tangy it is and also the tanginess of tomatoes used in the pachadi. If you do not have tamarind extract handy, wash required amount of tamarind and cook along with tomatoes.  
    • Homemade Tamarind Extract - to make this at home, wash tamarind and soak in minimum water just until tamarind is immersed in water.  Extract pulp and cook extracted pulp with little salt until it thickens.  You can store this in refrigerator or freezer. Second method is to wash tamarind, pressure cook in Instant Pot with some water. When pressure releases, extract the pulp and simmer it until the mixture thickens. You can also follow pulihora paste recipe and use only tamarind and salt.
    • Roast Peanuts & Sesame - Dry roast a large batch of peanuts and sesame seeds separately. Cool and store these in air tight containers. Having roasted sesame and peanuts handy cuts down the prep work when preparing a chutney.
    • How to Roast Sesame Seeds - Wash seeds in hot water and put in strainer.  Washing seeds in hot water is to remove any smell from the seeds. When water has drained, dry roast the seeds on medium - medium high flame until seeds are dry, toasted and crush into powder when pressed between thumb and index finger.

    FAQ

    Which tomatoes to use for Indian tomato chutney?

    Use any sour variety of tomatoes. Vine ripe tomatoes are sour and tangy. In India, it is desi tomatoes.

    I am allergic to nuts. Can you make tomato chutney nut free?

    Yes you can. Skip peanuts in the recipe and use also sesame seeds. If you are allergic to only peanuts, replace peanuts with walnuts. If you allergic to both seeds and nuts, skip both the ingredients.

    Tomato onion pachadi, tomato pachadi
    Tomato onion pachadi with mixed dal dosa.

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    📖 Recipe

    Bowl of tomato onion pachadi.

    Tomato Onion Pachadi

    Tomato onion pachadi is a spicy South Indian chutney with tomatoes, peanuts and sesame seeds. It goes well with idli, dosa, vada and rice.
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Side Dish
    Cuisine: South Indian Cuisine, Telangana Cuisine, Telugu Cuisine
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 62kcal
    Author: Usha Rao

    Equipment

    • Cutting board & knife
    • Saute Pan & Spoon
    • Mixie or a Blender
    • Lemon Squeezer if using lime/lemon in the recipe

    Ingredients

    • 1 tablespoon Oil
    • 5 Curry Leaves
    • ½ teaspoon Mustard Seeds
    • ½ teaspoon Cumin
    • ¼ teaspoon Methi Seeds opt
    • ½ cup chopped Onion
    • 4 cloves Garlic sliced
    • 6 small Green Chilies slit into 2 adjust to taste
    • ½ Turmeric
    • 1¼ teaspoon Tamarind Extract adjust to taste, check notes
    • 1 teaspoon Salt adjust to taste
    • 1 cup chopped Tomato Approximately 2 small tomatoes or 200grams.
    • 2 tablespoon dry roasted Sesame Seeds
    • 2 tablespoon dry roasted Peanuts
    • Cilantro for garnish

    Instructions

    • Heat oil, add mustard, cumin and let the seeds splutter.
      1 tablespoon Oil, ½ teaspoon Mustard Seeds, ½ teaspoon Cumin
    • Add onion, curry leaves, garlic and green chilies.
      5 Curry Leaves, ½ cup chopped Onion, 4 cloves Garlic sliced, 6 small Green Chilies slit into 2
    • When chilies change color, add turmeric tomatoes and salt.
      ½ Turmeric, 1 cup chopped Tomato, 1 teaspoon Salt
    • Mix well, cover and cook until tomatoes are soft.
    • Remove the lid and if there is excess juice released from tomatoes, cook for a couple of more minutes. Then turn off the flame.
    • Add peanuts, sesame seeds, tamarind extract, kotmir to tomato mixture, mix everything and let it cool.
      2 tablespoon dry roasted Sesame Seeds, 2 tablespoon dry roasted Peanuts, 1¼ teaspoon Tamarind Extract
    • Then grind it to fine paste adding some water, if required.
    • Taste and adjust the tanginess and salt.
    • Garnish it with cilantro and serve it with rice, dosa, idli or vada.

    Notes

    • Tomatoes - I use vine ripe tomatoes and find these tomatoes more tangy than the other variety. Adjust tamarind extract depending on the tomatoes degree of tanginess. Also, I use homemade tamarind extract.
    • Tamarind - Adjust tamarind extract depending on how tangy it is. If you do not have tamarind extract handy, use about a tablespoon on tamarind.  Wash and add this along with tomatoes.  
    • Homemade Tamarind Extract - to make this at home, wash tamarind and soak in minimum water just until tamarind is immersed in water.  Extract pulp, add more water and extract pulp again.  Cook extracted pulp, little salt and cook until it thickens.  You can store this in refrigerator or freezer. Second method is to wash tamarind, pressure cook in Instant Pot with some water. When pressure releases, extract the pulp and simmer it until the mixture thickens. You can also follow Instant Pot pulihora paste recipe and skip all the ingredients except tamarind and salt.
    • Peanuts & Sesame - You can substitute peanuts with  sesame seeds. I have made it a few times using only sesame seeds.  If you do not want to use sesame seeds, use only peanuts.
    • Prep Work - Dry roasting peanuts and sesame seeds takes some time. If you make chutneys on a regular basis, dry roast sesame seeds and peanuts separately and store in an air tight container. 
    • How to Roast Sesame Seeds - Wash seeds in hot water and put in strainer.  Washing seeds in hot water is to remove any smell from the seeds. When water has drained, dry roast the seeds on medium - medium high flame until seeds are dry, toasted and crush into powder when pressed between thumb and index finger.
    • Nut Allergies - Skip peanuts in the recipe and use also sesame seeds to make it nut free chutney. If you are allergic to only peanuts, replace peanuts with walnuts. If you allergic to both seeds and nuts, skip both the ingredients.
    • Nutrition - information below are approximate values.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 2tablespoon | Calories: 62kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 0.5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 457mg | Potassium: 102mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 61IU | Vitamin C: 20mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe?Share a photo! Mention @usha_myspicykitchen or tag #Usha_MySpicyKitchen!
    Blogging Marathon Logo.

    This post was originally published in Jan 2011. It is republished with new content and images.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      5 from 3 votes

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    1. Srivalli says

      March 23, 2024 at 2:42 am

      5 stars
      This chutney simply rocks! thanks for sharing such an easy one to make Usha. I made with dosas and everyone loved it!

      Reply
    2. Kalyani says

      March 05, 2024 at 7:17 pm

      5 stars
      I shall try this variation of tomato pachadi with sesame. Usually use peanuts as the base.

      Reply
      • Usha Rao says

        March 13, 2024 at 2:59 am

        Please give it try. I am sure you will love it, Kalyani!

        Reply
    3. Amara Annapaneni says

      February 27, 2024 at 4:09 pm

      Love the addition of sesame seeds Usha. I have to give it a try soon.

      Reply
    4. Archana says

      February 26, 2024 at 1:23 am

      5 stars
      Tomato onion chutney and hot steaming rice and ghee is my favourite combo for lunch. I can live on this chutney the whole year around. I do not add tamarind will try it next time.

      Reply
    5. Bhagi says

      February 01, 2011 at 3:31 am

      Yum usha. I make one similar but never added the sesame seeds.

      Reply
    6. honeybeecooksjackfruit says

      January 25, 2011 at 11:13 pm

      My favorite one to have with idli and dosa. MMMMMM mouth is watering!

      Reply
    7. Apu says

      January 23, 2011 at 11:56 pm

      Looks delicious!!

      Reply
    8. Harika says

      January 23, 2011 at 10:03 pm

      Loved your recipe looks grt.......

      Reply
    9. Kankana says

      January 20, 2011 at 5:25 pm

      I love Dosa idly and vada .. my fav Breakfast but because I am not a sounth Indian I really don;t know how to make good chutney .. as a result i eat fusion Dosa .. dosa with egg bhurji 🙂 😀 .. I guess i should definitely try this dish next time i make dosa .. and it takes 15 mins .. cool ! 🙂

      Reply
      • MySpicyKitchen says

        January 22, 2011 at 8:19 am

        I am sure dosa tastes awesome even with egg bhurji! You may not believe this but some of my family members like dosa with chicken shorva(gravy).. 🙂

        Reply
    10. Aipi says

      January 20, 2011 at 10:35 am

      Delicious chutney..loved your presentation..

      US Masala

      Reply
    11. Pavani says

      January 20, 2011 at 9:55 am

      Pachadi looks tangy and delicious. My husband is a sucker for good tomato chutneys, will try your version soon.

      Reply
    12. Gayathri Kumar says

      January 20, 2011 at 4:22 am

      Yummy and tangy chutney.

      Reply
    13. Priya says

      January 20, 2011 at 2:37 am

      I can have two more idlis with this yummy pachadi..

      Reply
    14. PJ says

      January 20, 2011 at 2:20 am

      Yummy!Love to have this with soft idlis...

      Reply
    15. Shoba Shrinivasan says

      January 20, 2011 at 12:24 am

      Hi,

      First time on your blogpost. Lovely chutney and I make this a lot!!!

      Shobha

      Reply
    16. veena says

      January 19, 2011 at 10:55 pm

      i am sure it tastes yummm

      Reply

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